Canada Invests $500M to Recruit 64 Top

Canada's industry minister, Mélanie Joly, has announced a CAD$500 million investment to recruit 64 top global scientists. Forty-eight of these researchers are leaving the United States for Canadian institutions.

The funding, worth over USD$350 million, will provide each research chair with CAD$1 million every year for the next eight years. Joly launched the Eddie Goldenberg Research Chairs of Canada program on August 27 at the University of British Columbia (UBC). She framed the move as a direct contrast to policies elsewhere. "While certain countries are cutting research and turning their back on academic freedom, we're doubling down on science and we're doubling down on research," Joly said.

The scheme is part of a broader CAD$1.7 billion investment announced last year aimed at attracting top researchers. A further CAD$40 million will support Canadian institutions in recruiting 63 emerging research leaders.

Source of the Recruits

The majority of the recruited scientists are departing from prestigious American universities. Many previously worked at Ivy League colleges and other top US institutions. Their disciplines span health and medicine, natural sciences, engineering, and astrophysics.

Robert Asselin, CEO of the U15 Canada group representing leading research universities, called the appointments "a big deal." He stated, "We're talking about the best scholars in the world, from MIT, Harvard and Carnegie Mellon, choosing to come here to do their research."

UBC will welcome nine of the 64 research chairs in this first round. A second intake of chairs is scheduled to be revealed later this year.

Economic and Intellectual Benefits

Speakers at the program's launch highlighted both scientific and economic advantages. They noted that every molecule invented through the program would become Canada's intellectual property. Benoit-Antoine Bacon, UBC's president and vice chancellor, welcomed the "exceptional" researchers. He said their work would impact research areas vital to the future of British Columbia, Canada, and the world.

The announcement occurs amid rising tensions in a US-Canada trade war. It also follows 18 months of reported threats to US academic freedom, research funding, and international collaborations. These factors are said to be causing scientists to turn away from American institutions.

When asked if President Donald Trump would view the program as an escalation, Joly deflected. "The US administration is taking its own decisions and we're taking ours," she stated. Joly added, "We're very glad that these fantastic professors are coming."

US Response and Scientist Sentiment

A White House spokesperson defended the US approach to science funding. Liz Huston said President Trump was "committed to keeping America the world leader in scientific innovation" by funding "real science." She criticized past practices, saying, "For years federal grant dollars were funnelled into universities for politicised research with little accountability to taxpayers and few results to show for it."

Huston added, "This administration is ending that waste and restoring a simple standard: grants should go to the best science, not politics."

However, a poll cited in the source indicates significant unrest among US researchers. Earlier this year, three-quarters of US scientists reportedly said they were considering leaving the country due to disruptions under the Trump administration. Europe and Canada were listed among their top choices for relocation.